Once a fire loss occurs it is the clear duty of the home or business owner to do everything in their power to prevent further damage. This typically begins with a board up of broken windows and unsecured doors, followed by roof tarps to secure the building from weather and further damage. A perimeter cleanup of broken glass, nails and debris is completed next so no one will get hurt. If the cold weather has set in, the water system may need to be drained and winterized to prevent pipes from freezing, anti-freeze may also be poured into toilets and traps, if the power has been compromised, an electrician will need to come in and hopefully restore power and provide temporary lighting. If the heating system is not damaged, it can be serviced or a temporary heating system may be installed to help dry out the structure and prevent further damage. These are just some of the steps that we can take to help immediately following the loss producing occurrence. All these services are covered and paid for by the insurance company and are the insured’s obligation to perform. The insured will not be required to pay for these services until they are reimbursed by the insurance company.

The next step would be to bring in any drying equipment that would be needed to dry out the building, once again with the intent of preventing any further damage.

We will then meet with the insurance adjuster and determine what other emergency measures would be needed, such as opening up certain areas that may have wet insulation behind walls, setting up rescue mats to dry out hardwood floors, or wall cavity drying. Our technicians are certified by the IICRC to perform these services to exacting protocols.

We will also agree on the salvageable clothing items that will go to a dry cleaning plant with a specialized focus in cleaning clothing from fire losses utilizing modern methods. Of course, many items may be a total loss and we will inventory those items separately.

We also will agree on the salvageable furniture items that will need to packed out to our warehouse for cleaning and storage. They will be returned once the building has been repaired. A complete inventory list of what is taken will be provided to the owner.

At this point our estimator(s) will meet with the adjuster to determine the “scope of loss”. This will be a complete line item list showing in detail, quantities and unit costs for everything that was damaged by the fire. It is done using the latest software estimating system used by both us and the insurance company. It is to your advantage having us there to make sure nothing is missed and all is recorded for estimate entry.

Once we have agreed on the scope of damage we can then sit down with the insured and discuss how the building will be repaired to either its pre loss condition or in many cases certain changes or upgrades will be worked out. Certain policies provide for “Code Upgrade” or “Ordnance and Law” coverage which would pay for (up to the covered limit) code upgrades cited by city inspectors.

When an agreement has been reached on how to repair the building, we will apply for the building permit and begin the repair process. Weekly on site meetings are set-up to review progress and a construction schedule is set. Remember the insurance company wants you back into your home as soon as possible as well and will give a time limit on repair work to be completed.

On most losses the owners will be relocated to temporary housing by a professional relocation company used by the insurance company.

Once the repairs have been completed and the city inspectors have signed off for occupancy we can move the owners back into the building.